Transport in Mauritania

Transport policy and infrastructure fall mainly under the Ministère de l’Équipement et des Transports. The Autorité de Régulation et d’Organisation des Transports Routiers (AROTR) regulates licensed road transport, stations, permits and inspections. Wilayas, the administrative regions, and moughataas, their departments, also support local coordination. Formal services operate alongside taxis, shared minibuses, private companies and informal providers, so availability and service quality vary by place. Nouakchott has public buses operated by STPN. The Nouakchott–Mobilité Horizon 2026 project describes 150 buses, an initial deployment of 50 buses, 51 kilometres of reserved corridors, a target of 150,000 passengers per day and a budget of 4 billion MRU over approximately three years. Dar Naim–Toujounine and Toujounine–Riyad are among the named corridors. Subscription cards, a mobile application and direct purchase are described as payment options, but project reports do not by themselves confirm current coverage, frequency or fares. Taxis, shared minibuses and private services remain relevant in parallel. Mauritania has no documented regular nationwide passenger railway. SNIM operates a railway of more than 700 kilometres mainly to carry iron ore between Tiris Zemmour and Nouadhibou. Occasional passenger travel on ore trains has been reported, but it should not be treated as a scheduled public service with reliable tickets or passenger timetables. PANPA and the Port of Friendship mainly serve freight and logistics, and no regular public passenger ferry network is documented. The Rosso–Senegal crossing remains a road and border connection; historical ferry arrangements or bridge works should not be treated as proof of a currently operating passenger service. Long-distance travel is dominated by road services using buses, minibuses, shared taxis and coaches. Formal access points include stations routières, with research identifying three in Nouakchott and two in the Zouerate–Nouadhibou area. Departure times and passenger prices depend on the company, vehicle and journey. AROTR fee figures are not retail ticket prices: the referenced schedule lists 200 MRU for an urban taxi, 400 MRU for a minibus with fewer than 25 seats, 700 MRU for a vehicle with more than 25 seats, about 700–2,500 MRU for intercity vehicles departing Nouakchott according to vehicle class, and 500 MRU for a rural journey. Treat these figures as regulatory fees unless the provider confirms the passenger fare. Driving requires a driving licence, vehicle registration and plate, the required vehicle documents and a technical inspection, known locally as visite technique. The Ministry and the Direction des Services Techniques des Transports handle examination and related procedures. Appointments can depend on the wilaya and the National Identification Number (NNI); no single reliable processing time or nationwide fee has been established. Drivers must follow Mauritania’s road traffic code under Ordonnance 2006-047. Law 2011-031 generally requires licensing or authorisation for public passenger and goods transport, together with a carrier register, professional competence and financial capacity. Taxis, rental vehicles, school transport, medical transport, tourist services, animal transport and dangerous-goods transport can have additional conditions. Unlicensed service, missing documents or technical defects can lead to fines, vehicle removal to a fourrière, or other sanctions. Reliable current nationwide figures for speed limits, blood-alcohol limits and insurance requirements are not established in the available research. Air travel is available through Aéroport Nouakchott-Oumtounsy (GQNO), with customs, immigration, air-traffic services, handling and security described as operating around the clock. Access normally involves a booking with Mauritania Airlines or another airline, followed by a taxi, rental car or hotel shuttle. Published network information includes Nouadhibou, Zouerate and destinations in West Africa, the Maghreb and Europe, but the available list dates from 2018, so current flight frequency and prices require confirmation. Walking is generally free and widely used, but sidewalks, crossings and continuous pedestrian space are uneven, especially in peripheral areas. Accessibility for people with reduced mobility is a legal objective, yet nationwide practical coverage is not established. Cycling is mainly private and informal; no nationwide network of cycle paths, rental services or sharing systems is documented. The Nouakchott mobility project plans priority facilities for bicycles, but this does not establish current availability. Walking and cycling have the lowest transport emissions, while vehicles contribute to exhaust emissions, dust, noise and fuel use. No reliable Mauritania-specific transport greenhouse-gas figure was found. Road access is particularly difficult outside major centres: the rural access index is about 22%, only about 48% of paved roads are reported in good condition, and maintenance funding covers roughly 11% of estimated need. Sandstorms, flooding and heat can alter travel times and access, especially in eastern and northern areas. Government planning refers to integrated modes, climate-adapted infrastructure and clean energy, while railway modernisation is intended to improve fuel use, safety and reliability.